Ampersands & More Ampersands

There are probably people out there who don’t know what an ampersand is. If so, I give you an intellectually condescending glance.

It all started with a trip my local Wells Fargo, because they were giving away a free optical mouse if you talked with a personal banker to review your accounts! Since I’ve always been a sucker for promotional items, I immediately signed up, and after an utterly delightful hour long meeting (and I am NOT joking—it really was a total riot), I received my mouse. (It’s especially cute because it’s tiny and has a retract-able cord!)

How, you may ask, does this have anything to do with ampersands? Well, the fun kept building throughout the meeting until we were laughing about everything. I am of the firm belief that going into a meeting with the idea that it’s going to be fun right at the top of the agenda is a pretty good indicator that the meeting will, in fact, be fun. I had been thinking about transferring my brokerage account to Wells Fargo, just to keep everything under one umbrella, and Cathy asked me what kind of stocks I had. After listing them, I added, jokingly, “I only choose companies with an ampersand in the name!” (That’s not true in the sense that I would only buy stock in a company with an ampersand in their name, it just so happens that all the stock I currently have is in companies with ampersands in their names.) We had a good laugh at that.

But now I’ve realized that they’re everywhere… I stopped in Barnes & Noble, and went to the drinking fountain to pop some allergy medicines and as I was taking a drink I looked up only to see that the wallpaper design is made of (what else) ampersands. Whoa! So I quickly snapped a picture! It’s difficult to see the ampersand design from this distance, so I’m giving you a close-up, too!

I turned around, only to see a book-seller, who gave me a quizzical look and said, “I’m sorry, I have to ask…” When I explained my mission, he delightedly informed me that there is a cover for their Nook e-reader with an ampersand on the cover! Naturally I had to take a look! I’ve been thinking about getting an e-reader, but this about seals the deal!

Who would think that a printer’s mark could be so much fun?! And given the related articles below, I’m clearly not the only one who loves ampersands!